If the transitive property can be applied to college basketball, the Illinois women not only beat Pepperdine 84-41 Sunday at the Assembly Hall, but they also beat No. 1 UConn.

Illinois (4-4) mystified Pepperdine (2-4) with a swarming defense and a crisp offense en route to recording their third straight victory by a margin of 28 points or more. In doing so, the Illini managed to outdo Connecticut, who outscored Pepperdine by 29 points on Dec. 5 — 14 less than the Illini.

"They just pounded us," said Pepperdine head coach Mark Trakh. "There's no excuses. They're long and athletic and they get after it. I saw all their tapes. This is probably the best they've played all year."

It's far too early to realistically compare Illinois to the No. 1 team in the nation, but the Illini are truly beginning to find their niche as a team. After four straight losses, Illinois has responded by tallying three straight wins. Their latest victory marks the first time the women could claim a .500 record since Nov. 24. It's also the team's first win over a program that reached last year's NCAA tournament.

"I don't think the team ever lost confidence," said Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz. "They just stayed calm and patient and they believed. I'm not going to lie — today was a real big win. It was big for our momentum."

Junior Tiffanie Guthrie continued her sensational play, as her 18-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist effort led the way for Illinois. Guthrie also added three steals while committing just one turnover. It was Guthrie's second straight double-double, and already her third for the year. Prior to the 2003-04 campaign, Guthrie had just one double-double performance on her resume.

"I felt last year I failed Tiff," Grentz said. "She had a great game against Arizona (30 points), and struggled a bit after that. We never really got on the same track where I felt she knew she could take off. We've asked her to play out of position a lot of the time. She's worked real hard."

The Illini credited their defense for the win, as Pepperdine hit only 25.7 percent of its shots. They made just one of the 20 three pointers they attempted.

"We were able to take them out of their offensive flow," Grentz said. "The defense is something we've tried to pin our hat on. The players are buying into the system. If the best players buy into the system, you can win championships."

Illinois set the tone for the afternoon by grabbing an early 9-0 advantage. The Illini scored their first three baskets, all on uncontested layups. Pepperdine didn't score its first points until more than four minutes had passed.

"It was real big to get off to a big start," Grentz said. "Our lack of turnovers set the tone early for us offensively."

Heading into the second half with a 38-16 lead, the Illini began the second half much like the first, scoring their first three baskets all on layups.

Sophomore Janelle Hughes was one of four Illini players to score in double figures. Hughes' 12-point output doubled her previous season high. Senior Aminata Yanni added 15 points while junior Angelina Williams scored 14. Cindy Dallas continued her onslaught under the boards, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds to go with her eight points.

"I think this ranks up there with one of the best games we've played this year," Guthrie said.